Black Sky - Chapter 28

In the car filled with psychedelic colorful lights, a very strange atmosphere spread.

Despite not carrying any weapons, Meng Yilan ignored Shi Lei’s obstruction, and strode forward, walking at the head of the group.

The uneasy emotions that had been lingering in her heart for a long time were constantly swelling, as if they were about to explode in the next second.

Passing through car after car, Meng Yilan finally arrived at the last car.

The original wooden door had been chopped to pieces, and the lock had been cut open and thrown aside. Various sundries were scattered on the ground, in a mess.

In the car, the windows on both sides were sealed tightly, like a huge iron cage, filled with a depressing and strange atmosphere.

However, the door of the iron cage was wide open, and the prey that should have been trapped inside had long disappeared.

Only Bai Zi was left sitting at the end, looking at Meng Yilan, who was standing at the door, with a leisurely expression.

For some reason, seeing this scene, Meng Yilan felt that her heart was split in two.

One half was shocked and angry, but also filled with sadness.

But the other half wasn’t surprised by this, and even felt that it was only natural.

Moreover, Meng Yilan also clearly felt that the heart that had been hanging in the air ever since Bai Zi left had finally landed.

Before she could delve into the reason behind this feeling, Shi Lei had already run up with a gun, pointing at Bai Zi with uncontrollable anger and shouting: “You crazy woman, where.. you… Miss Meng has already let you off the hook, but you still…”

Before he could finish scolding, a man standing behind Meng Yilan asked: “What’s wrong?”

He was the man who had been talking to Shi Lei at the subway station, about thirty years old, with narrow eyes, single eyelids, and a shallow scar on his chin.

“It’s nothing,” Shi Lei quickly smiled obsequiously, pointing at Bai Zi and saying, “Mr. Liu, she’s just…”

Meng Yilan suddenly interrupted: “The person ran away, the deal is off.”

Shi Lei was stunned, standing there dumbfounded.

But Bai Zi stood up: “I’m the ‘goods’ you want.”

The man called Mr. Liu raised his eyebrows, and carefully sized up the strange woman in front of him.

He had never met anyone who could so confidently admit that they were immune.

This special situation made Mr. Liu a little at a loss. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the gun at his waist, and even the man and woman standing behind him showed wary expressions.

“Sorry,” Meng Yilan turned around, and said to everyone with a cold face, “Wait for five minutes, I need to talk to her alone.”

Shi Lei leaned close to Meng Yilan with a troubled expression: “This, this isn’t appropriate, is it?”

Meng Yilan didn’t reply, but only glanced at Shi Lei. The latter hesitated for a long while, and finally turned around helplessly, whispering a few words to the others, and then led them to the outside of the car.

At this time, Meng Yilan turned her head, and made eye contact with Bai Zi.

In just a short while, the two people’s mindsets had completely changed.

Meng Yilan frowned slightly: “Bai Zi…” She clearly had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but stopped after only calling out the other party’s name, and then sighed softly.

Bai Zi, however, was very cooperative, and readily gave an answer: “I said, I’m willing.”

“Is it to make me feel more guilty?” Meng Yilan asked.

She still couldn’t believe that Bai Zi was doing all of this without seeking any reward.

Or rather, she had already believed it, but was just unwilling to admit it.

“Guilty?” Bai Zi showed a blank expression.

This pure reaction made the feeling of “sadness” in Meng Yilan’s heart even stronger, even overwhelming the “shock” and “anger.”

After thinking for a long while, Bai Zi said: “I just want to make myself happy.”

Meng Yilan chuckled softly: “What do you mean? You’ll be happy by using yourself to exchange for Lin Quwei?”

Bai Zi shook her head: “I’ll be happy seeing that I can reunite you with the person most important to you.”

Not You Yuyi, and not some other person who is immune to the virus, but me.

That feeling of personally fulfilling Meng Yilan’s wish was the feeling that Bai Zi had been pursuing for so many years.

“Why?” Meng Yilan pressed on, “Why me, why not someone else?”

Bai Zi was stunned, and finally smiled softly: “Didn’t I tell you? This ‘reason’ isn’t important to you, and besides, you said that they just want to use me for some antibody experiments, and it won’t endanger my life…”

“Do you think that doing this will make me fall in love with you?” Meng Yilan asked relentlessly, deliberately adding a hint of disdain and contempt to her tone. “But before, I already told you…”

Bai Zi’s clear eyes suddenly turned cold: “You can’t possibly fall in love with me, and you can’t love me,” Saying that, she curled the corners of her mouth, but there wasn’t a trace of a smile. “Even I can’t possibly love myself, let alone you.”

At this moment, Meng Yilan realized with a start that she and Bai Zi were so similar in their “self-loathing.”

Not self-abasement, and not helplessness, but a holistic self-loathing.

Therefore, Meng Yilan was finally willing to completely believe that everything Bai Zi had done these past few days was truly “voluntary.”

“I want to know the reason,” Meng Yilan stubbornly pressed on, “Why me in particular?”

Meng Yilan’s eyes were very firm, as if she could stay here until the end of time if the other party didn’t give her an answer.

Bai Zi was silent, at a loss for words.

After a while, tears actually floated in her eyes.

“Because,” Bai Zi’s eyes were slightly red, but she still curled the corners of her mouth, smiling, “You are my ‘light’.”

In that dark and hellish time, it was Meng Yilan’s light that gave her the direction to walk in the darkness.

Therefore, she would constantly move closer to the light, and would never dare to fantasize that one day, the light would fall in love with her.

But similarly, Bai Zi also knew very well that if one day, the light went out, then she would also be swallowed by the darkness.

“When I see this light slowly becoming weaker, I’ll feel very sad,” Bai Zi said, a tear clinging to the edge of her eye, about to fall. “But if I can use my own ability to make this light continue to shine, I’ll feel…that it’s a very happy thing.”

These words were like a storm that suddenly swept across the ground, catching Meng Yilan off guard.

Because Meng Yilan clearly remembered that many years ago, she had made a special documentary, which talked about the relationship between people in society, and also involved the abstract concepts of “darkness” and “light.”

Meng Yilan had put all her effort into making this report.

At that time, she was just starting out, full of vigor, and completely different from the Meng Yilan of today.

And now, Bai Zi was actually using the words that she had once written and said to answer this question.

Realizing this, Meng Yilan’s brain seemed to be blank, and also seemed to be filled with inexplicable emotions. The two intertwined, causing her to lose the ability to think.

However, Meng Yilan also had a strong urge to reach out and touch Bai Zi, and even pull the other party into her arms.

Just as she was about to stretch out her arms, Shi Lei’s voice came again: “Miss Meng…”

Meng Yilan’s body immediately stiffened in place, but she was still staring at Bai Zi, not responding to Shi Lei.

The tear in Bai Zi’s eyes fell to the ground, and then, all that was left on her face was a pure smile. The sadness that had appeared during the conversation had seemed to have never existed.

Seeing that Meng Yilan didn’t react, Bai Zi took the initiative to turn her head, looking at Shi Lei: “We’re done talking.”

As soon as the words fell, Shi Lei led the others back into the car.

Mr. Liu glanced at Meng Yilan, and seeing that she remained silent, he turned his head to look at the man and woman who were following behind him. The man was very tall, a head taller than Meng Yilan, but his figure was thin; the woman had freckles on her face, and her figure was slightly plump.

The freckled woman took out a mask and an electric shock collar from her backpack, and looked at Bai Zi.

Bai Zi was slightly stunned—she was too familiar with the mask and electric shock collar.

“What are these?” Meng Yilan asked coldly.

“Miss Meng, these are protective devices to prevent them from harming others.” Mr. Liu said, signaling the tall man and the freckled woman to start acting quickly.

But just as the two were about to approach Bai Zi, Meng Yilan said: “It’s not necessary.”

Mr. Liu frowned, very dissatisfied with Meng Yilan’s attitude: “But according to the rules…”

“She’s very normal,” Meng Yilan shook her head, her tone firm. “Besides being immune to the virus, she’s no different from us.”

Mr. Liu narrowed his eyes, and smiled: “If that’s the case, then I can only cancel the deal, as you said, Miss Meng.”

Although Mr. Liu knew Meng Yilan’s identity, he turned around unceremoniously and was about to leave. Shi Lei’s face changed drastically, and he wanted to stop Mr. Liu, but he saw Bai Zi take the mask from the freckled woman, and put it on her face skillfully.

Then, in Meng Yilan’s cold gaze, Bai Zi reminded the freckled woman to put the electric shock collar on her: “And that please.”

The freckled woman turned her head to look at Mr. Liu, and Mr. Liu looked at Meng Yilan.

Meng Yilan’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her frosty face revealed a lot of anger, but it was clear that this emotion wasn’t directed at Mr. Liu, but was caused by Bai Zi.

But soon, she suppressed this anger, and then, with a blank expression, turned around and walked out of the car quickly, no different from when she had rushed over here regardless of everything.

Seeing Meng Yilan walk away, Shi Lei signaled the freckled woman to act quickly.

Bai Zi was quickly fitted with the electric shock collar. Then, the tall man and the freckled woman, like escorts, each held one of Bai Zi’s arms, and took her back to the platform.

In the subway station, Fatty Qiu, who had been shouting about mutants, had long disappeared. Shi Lei kicked Fatty Qiu’s tent, and then anxiously called everyone to pack up their things.

During this time, Meng Yilan never approached Bai Zi again.

Before leaving the subway station, Mr. Liu briefly explained the route: “Walk for about half an hour, to the side of the highway. We have two cars, and we should be able to reach our destination by early morning tomorrow.”

In the dense forest, everything besides the light was pitch black.

Shi Lei and Mr. Liu walked at the very front, Meng Yilan and Sister Hua walked in the middle, and Bai Zi was escorted by the tall man and the freckled woman at the back.

Perhaps because Bai Zi’s attitude was too docile, after walking for a while, the tall man and the freckled woman no longer rudely held her body, but only walked on Bai Zi’s left and right sides.

Wearing a mask that covered her mouth and nose, and wearing a dog collar-like electric shock collar, Bai Zi seemed to have returned to that hellish time again.

It seemed that everything had returned to its original state.

However, Bai Zi didn’t feel regret.

The half-hour journey was very short. When everyone was about to walk out of the dense forest, a thin figure suddenly pounced towards Bai Zi.

The tall man immediately drew his dagger, wanting to stab the figure, but he saw that Bai Zi wasn’t flustered at all, and even skillfully caught the “thing” that had jumped into her arms.

That “thing” wasn’t polite at all, grabbing Bai Zi’s shoulders, quickly hanging onto Bai Zi’s back, and then baring its teeth at the tall man who was holding the knife, looking like it wouldn’t show any weakness.

“That’s a human-raised orangutan,” Meng Yilan walked quickly to the tall man’s side. “Don’t hurt it.”

The tall man hesitated and put away the dagger, but said: “Miss Meng, immune people are to be held in solitary confinement, not even animals are allowed.”

Meng Yilan glanced at Bai Zi, and then reached out to Mao Mao: “Mao Mao.”

Her voice was gentle, as if she was coaxing a child.

Mao Mao immediately recognized Meng Yilan, and immediately put away the face it had been using to scare the enemy, but it was still a little hesitant, unwilling to move its body.

At this time, Bai Zi raised her hand, and gently patted Mao Mao’s arm.

Then, Mao Mao made a “goo” sound, jumped off Bai Zi’s shoulder, propped itself up with one arm, and quickly came to Meng Yilan’s side.

“Miss Meng,” Shi Lei frowned, and asked softly, “Do you want to take it back to Bei City?”

Meng Yilan’s slightly soft face turned cold again. She ignored Shi Lei, and directly led Mao Mao to continue walking forward.

In less than ten minutes, everyone arrived at a wide highway.

Two clearly modified cars were parked beside a sign covered in vines.

The tall man and the freckled woman led Bai Zi to a jeep, and signaled her to enter the back seat.

After Bai Zi sat in the car, she immediately felt that the back seat of the car, like the subway car before, was a “cage” specifically used to imprison criminals. The driver’s seat and the back seat were separated by iron bars, and the windows on both sides were inlaid with iron mesh.

Before Bai Zi could take a closer look, the tall man opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat.

The freckled woman came to the small car in front of the jeep. Like the tall man, she was also responsible for driving.

Mr. Liu raised his hand, signaling Meng Yilan, Shi Lei, and Sister Hua to get into the car: “Miss Meng, why don’t you sit in the same car as me? Do you prefer to sit in the front or the back?”

At this time, Bai Zi in the back seat of the jeep took her gaze away from Meng Yilan’s tall back, and then, she took off the fisherman’s hat, bringing the brim close to her nose.

It still had some of Meng Yilan’s scent, faint, and it was hard to say what it smelled like, but it was very fragrant.

Bai Zi thought that maybe this was the last leg of her journey with Meng Yilan.

At this time, Bai Zi heard the passenger seat door open.

Then, there was a “coo” sound.

Bai Zi immediately looked up, and saw Mao Mao, with its head covered in sparse, messy hair, lying on the back of the seat, staring at her with a pair of round eyes.

And next to it, was Meng Yilan, with her back facing her.

She didn’t speak, and didn’t even turn her head.

The car door closed, the engine started, and the jeep, following the small car in front, drove onto the highway.